Our introduction to New Zealand’s balanced approach to teaching literacy came in the early 1990’s. It was a turning point in our careers as teachers of young children. More recently, our introduction to cutting edge work in mathematics instruction that New Zealand teachers are currently engaged in, has a made a similarly striking impact on our teaching.  We have completed substantial course work and have spent many years practicing best methods of instruction based upon the work of New Zealand’s teachers and researchers such as Marie Clay.  We have begun to study and use the New Zealand Numeracy Project and Number Framework. During the past year we have taken courses based on New Zealand’s approach for understanding and teaching mathematics with Loree Silvis of Cornerstone Mathematics. The courses, “Laying the Foundations: Building a Deep Understanding of Number” and “Building Upon the Foundation: Developing Additive Reasoning and Computational Fluency”, have greatly influenced our practice. We have begun to integrate this new learning with existing programs at our school.  As teachers and learners, we are always looking for ways to extend our knowledge and improve our teaching methods.  What better way, we thought, to gain a deeper understanding of the approaches to teaching mathematics and literacy than to experience the culture of a learning community devoted to the research, development and use of best practices.  With that goal in mind, we wrote a grant to visit schools and teachers in New Zealand.

 Cabot Primary Teachers Awarded A "Fund for Teachers" Grant to Study Math and Literacy in New Zealand

Lynn Talamini and Donna Stone received a $10,000 grant through the American Fund For Teachers  to travel to New Zealand this summer and study math, literacy, and culture. New Zealand leads the world in literacy rates. Donna and Lynn have both used math and literacy programs developed in New Zealand in their classroom and will see these programs in action through school visits and meetings with New Zealand educators.